Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has published its annual report of top auto insurance fraud claims, recounting the most ridiculous claims it handled.
Aside from listing the most bizarre false claims the insurer had tackled, the report noted that MPI’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) managed to close 2,560 investigations in 2017, resulting in claims savings of about $6.2 million for auto insurance rate payers last year.
MPI’s top fraud case of 2017 involved a vehicle owner who claimed that they were travelling on a gravel road, but suddenly lost control and sped into a water-filled ditch. The SIU, however, found that the vehicle had been intentionally driven into mud. Investigators also found a webpage for a local Jeep club that published a photo depicting the vehicle stuck in mud.
The SIU also discovered that the vehicle owner had previously attempted to get the automobile fixed at a dealership, but technicians explained that the water damage was not covered.
The vehicle owner withdrew the claim after being presented with the evidence, saving MPI and ratepayers $36,000.
The second top fraud case involved what initially seemed like a hail claim of nearly $6,000.
The owner of the vehicle claimed that while they were out shopping, a severe hail storm damaged their parked automobile. About 200 dents were found on the vehicle. MPI staff, familiar with how vehicle paint is affected by hailstones, determined that the damage was not consistent with hail but was caused by a tool or object.
MPI’s third top fraud claim at first appeared like any other fender bender. The vehicle owner admitted to the damage, and said that as a novice driver they had a supervising driver at the time of the collision. But an MPI employee found a classified ad in a foreign-language newspaper that asked for someone to pose as a “supervising driver.”
When the ad was proven to be connected with the claimant, the vehicle owner finally confessed that there was no supervising driver. The claimant withdrew their claim and signed a $2,500 promissory note for the total cost of repairs to the vehicle.
The fourth case began with a vehicle owner who claimed that he lent his vehicle to a friend; this friend crashed the car into a cement pole after swerving to avoid hitting an animal. Investigators at the scene of the accident, however, found a closed-circuit security camera mounted directly above the crash site, finding footage that showed the vehicle driven at a high speed directly into the cement pole – no animal was involved in the collision. The video also revealed that the driver was not a friend, but the owner of the car. Investigators helped ratepayers save $7,000 by closing this case.
The final highlighted case involved a claimant who was receiving income replacement payments from MPI. An investigation found that the claimant led a very active lifestyle – including regular trips to the gym, where the claimant was lifting heavy weights.
It was determined that the claimant was physically fit to return to work, based on the evidence and the opinion of medical experts. MPI terminated the income replacement payments, resulting in savings of nearly $55,000.
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